Refrigerator-car.



A. G. BROWN.

REFRIGERATOR GAR.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 12.1909. 16,

' 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

IA /V/I A. G. BROWN.

REFRIGERATOR GAR. APPLICATION FILED APR. 12.1909.

v9 0 9 m 0T W mm w nw 1% T Wu Nu d2 m .n .m a P 1 atmwg UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED G. BROWN, OF WINONA, MINNESOTA, AS SIGNOR FTQUNION FIBRE COMPANY, OF WINONA, MINNESOTA, A CORPORATION OF MINNESOTA.

REFRIQERATOR-GAR,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented-Nov; 16, 1909;

Application filed April 12, 1909. Serial No. 489,357.

To all whom it may concern: 7 I

Be it known that i, ALFRED G. BROWN, of W mona, ill the county of Winona and State of Minnesota, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Refrigerator- Cars; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description or the same, reference being had to the'accon1 panying drawings, forming a part of thiS' entire capacity of the car may be utilized for carrying non-perishable commodities.v

Another ob ect of the invention is to improve the circulation of the air within the car when the bunkers are filled with ice.

To these ends, the invention consists in certain novel details of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, all as will be now described and the particular features of novelty pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawingsl*igure 1 is a longitudinal section showing one end of the car with the ice bunker constructed according to this-invention, the dotted lines showing the bunker partially folded. Fig. 2 is a similar view, the bunker being shown folded. Fig. 3 is a cross-section, the front Wall .of the bunker being broken away. Figs. 4, 5, and (5 are detail views of the upper support for the bunker.

Similar letters of reference in the several figures indicate the same parts.

According to the present invention, the ice bunkers or holders are located at each end of the car, the end A of the car constituting the rear wall thereof.

The front wall of the bunker consists of a partition which extends transversely of the car and at a suitable distance from the end thereof, this partition bein made in two sections, an upper one B anda lower one C. These sections consist of the cross-beam D-D, and the vertical beams or braces EE, the latter being bifurcated, as shown, and to these are secured a layer of insulating material tZd, such as linofelt, preferably Waterproof, held between two; layers of boards 0? cl. The sections B and CI are hinged together by a series of hinges D sov as to fold inwardly, as shown in Fig. 1.

To the upper end of the braces E are secured the pintle carriers E in'which the pintle E is fixediy held, preferably by forming the pintle and carrier angular in crosssection. To the top of the car are secured brackets F-F, arranged parallel with each other, having a straight portion f, and a depressed or rounded portion f, and the inclined portions f -f The endsof the pintle E are supported upon these brackets FF and in the folding and unfolding of the bunker sections have a certain move mentthereon which will be hereinafter described. I

Oneend of the pintle has a right angle portion e which cooperates with an extension or lug c on the pintle carrier E whereby the pintle is locked from turning when the bunker sections are in folded or unfolded position, as shown.

The bottom of the bunkerconsists of a series of slats or bars G, suitably spaced and secured to a bar G, said slats being hinged at the rear end to the wall of the car, as shown at H At their forward ends-[these slats Gr rest upon the lower bar, C of the lower section C, certain of the slats passing between the bifurcated standards E nected, as by hinges G Below the bottom of thebunkcr is an inclined board or plate H by means of which the drip from the ice may be directed to a channel or gutter H to be carried off. This plate H ishinged near its upper end to a block or bar H the block being slotted or recessed as at H to permit the pivotal movement of the board H, as will be readily understood.

In the folding movement of the sections, the pintle ends are first elevated out of the depressed portion of the brackets F-F, so that the right angled portion e of the pintle may clear the projection a on the pintle carrier. This permits the upper section B to be swung on the pintle toward the roof of the car, the pintle during this movement running out along the horizontal portion of the bracket and then back, the right angled ortion of the pintle passing over the proection e and engaging the opposite side of to, which they are preferably pivotally con-- the projection '6 as shown in Figs. 2 and 5, when the section is fully raised thus locking it in raised position as will be readily understood. The lower section C being pivoted to the upper section, will swing with the upper sectionagainst the end of the car,

the slatted bottom folding up against the car, all as shown in Fig. 2. ,To lock the parts in either folded or unfolded position, bolts K'are provided on the lower section C, these bolts being provided with teeth 70, with which engages a pinion is, the shaft of which extends through the wall of the section to be operated by a suitable key, The bolts are secured within s0ckets'k k in the sides of the car. i

It will be noted that a space is left be tween the top of the car and the top of the bunker and also that the bottom of the bunker is located above the floor of the car. By such a construction a circulation'of air is obtained for, as the ice melts, the air in the bunker cools, falls and passes out from below the bunker into the car. The cold air passing into the car gradually becoming warm, rises and passes over'thetop of the wall into the bunker.

By having the bunker wall insulated the circulation is accelerated, and insures the greatest effect from the cool air which cannot rise and pass back again into the ice bunker until it has traversed the entire distance between the floor and ceiling of the car. The insulation in the wall prevents any cross or countercurrents, and hence even when the ice is melted half way down in the bunker there must be a circulation due to the pressure of the cold air on the floorrising and forcing the warm air back through the space at the top of the bunker, and into the ice chamber.

l'faving thus described my invention, what 1 claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. In a refrigerator car, the combination with a bunker having a front wall formed of an upper and lower section hinged together to fold inwardly, a bottom section hinged at one end to the end wall of the car and cooperating at the other end with the lower end of the lower section, said top section bei ing suspended from the top of the car at a greater distance from the end wall of the car than the height of said section whereby the sections may be folded inwardly and upwardly against the top and end of the car respectively.

2. In a refrigerator car, the combination with a bunker having a front wall formed of an upper and lower section hinged to- .gether,to fold inwardly, a bracket secured to the car roof from which the top section is freely suspended and in which said section moves back and forth during the folding movement. v

In a refrigerator car, the combination with the bunker, having a front wall of two sections hinged together, a support from which the top section is suspended, and cooperating locking means on the top section and support for locking said section at the extremes of its swinging movement.

in a refrigerator car, the combination with the ice bunker, having a sectional front the bunker adapted to move l)IC and forth in said horizontal portion of the bracket during the folding movement of the section,

and to rest within the depressed portion at the extremes of said movement, and means for locking the section, substantially as described.

(3. In. a refrigerator car, the combination with the sectional bunker, a bracket having a projection at one side, a pintle carried by the top bunker section working in said bracket and having an angular projection adapted to cooperate with the projection on the bracket to lock the section at the ex- 100- tremes of its movement.

ALFRED G. BROWN.

Witnesses C. N. DEAN, Aismmw G. SWnAzEY. 

